Hunted

Jenna Lamia manages to navigate the unrelenting teen vampire angst in this fifth book in the House of Night series. She presents a credibly youthful Zoey and draws readers in despite Zoey's constant waffling over which guy to bite next. The large cast of characters may be difficult to differentiate, although they're distinct in dialogue. Lamia also has to maintain listener interest through an initial exchange of dialogue that is over an hour long. She successfully transports listeners out of this lethargic opening and into the action of the book. For the legions who enjoy chomping down on vampire fiction, this series entry is entertaining, if involved. C.A. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

June 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-Mother-daughter writing team P.C. and Kristin Cast open up a whole new chapter in Zoey Redbird's complicated life with their fifth "House of Night" novel (St. Martin's Press, 2009). Zoey is a powerful fledging who is training for her conversion to vampyrism at a private boarding school. Zoey and her circle are currently battling evil high priestess Neferet and fallen angel Kalona, who have taken over the Oklahoma House of Night. She is also dealing with power struggles among the other fledglings along with the usual teenage angst that accompanies multiple boyfriends. The plot is zingy and so, for the most part, is the dialogue. The authors go out of their way to recap previous events, which is great for listeners new to the series, but may be annoying to those who already know the back story. They also unnecessarily emphasize gay characters by attaching the adjective "gay" to all of their actions. Narrator Jenna Lamia does a good job, giving each character a distinctive voice and personality, especially Stevie Rae's Oklahoma twang and Aphrodite's very bored delivery. Teens who like vampire stories, romantic triangles, and the backbiting of Gossip Girl will find this title very satisfying."Charli Osborne, Oxford Public Library, MI"

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